Trapped - A Jalec Fanfic
by Scarlet R. Flame
Summary: When Jace and Alec get stuck in a never-ending forest (no thanks to Magnus) it's up to them to stay alive until Isabelle can get them out. But as time goes on, feelings uncover, fates (as well as bones) get twisted, and the fight for survival is on. (Rated T just in case.)
1. Teleported

**A/N:** **Hi guys, this is my first fanfic so yeah... The story basically ignores everything that's ever happened in the books. This is just me playing around with the characters Jace, Alec, Isabelle, and Magnus. Simon and Clary might make an appearance later on, but I'm not sure. Anyway, rate and review! Oh, yeah, and enjoy!**

Disclaimer: I do not have short reddish hair. I have not published a series in progress, and then sold the movie rights to some film company. I am not currently writing City Of Heavenly Fire. Based on these facts, I think it would be safe to conclude that I am not Cassandra Clare.

"I'm bored," Jace announced, flopping himself onto one of the library's armchairs.

Alec glared at him from the table. "_Some_ of us," he said, in a tone that – impressively – conveyed both exasperation and amusement, "are actually trying to get our homework done."

Jace rolled his eyes as Isabelle walked in, wearing stiletto heels as usual. Her nose wrinkled when she saw Alec reading. "Magnus is here," she said, peering down at Alec.

The raven-haired boy closed his book and stretched, several popping noises – well, popping out. "What's he doing here?" Alec asked. "I'm busy."

"Well, he's your boyfriend," Isabelle said, taking a seat next to Jace. "So go get him. He's still at the front door." She watched as Alec scowled and walked away.

"He is _not_ my boyfriend!" Alec called out, as his tall figure faded out of sight.

"Did you tell Magnus?" Jace asked, once his half-brother was out of earshot.

Isabelle nodded, a smile painting her face. "I don't honestly think it's _healthy_, to sit around and study all day." She shuddered visibly. "I wonder how he stays sane."

Jace winked. "That's how he does it," he said, smirking. "He _doesn't_ stay sane."

Just as Isabelle laughed, Alec came walking in, a fierce scowl spoiling his otherwise graceful features, an impossibly tall and sparkly warlock walking joyfully behind him.

"So, what do you need my services for?" Magnus asked, taking a seat on the table.

Alec looked at Isabelle. "I thought he came here by himself!" he said, his eyebrows drawing together.

"I did too," Magnus said, saving Isabelle from answering. "After all, I like to think that after eight hundred years of living, I've learned how to transport myself from one point in the city to another."

Alec spluttered.

"I called him," Jace said, earning himself a wide-eyed look from Alec. "You need to relax."

Magnus smirked. "Is _that_ what this is about? I just cancelled an appointment with a client so I could come here. And she would have paid well, too."

"You get to hang out with your favorite shadowhunters," Jace offered, pointing his chin to Alec, then Isabelle, then to himself. "Isn't that payment enough?"

"Fine," Magnus said, bending his legs to sit cross-legged. "Let's start of with something easy. Wouldn't want to frazzle your brain with overly complicated fun."

Alec crossed his arms. "I am not wasting time to play a _game_," he said. "I have work to do!"

Isabelle rolled her eyes again. It was all she did nowadays when referencing her brother. "Half an hour," Isabelle said, although she knew how the time could easily pass to an hour or two. Hopefully, her brother wouldn't notice.

"And if you don't," Jace said, a small smile playing on his lips, "I'll ask Magnus to turn you into a butterfly until you agree."

Alec raised his eyebrows. "A butterfly?" he asked, clearly offended.

Jace shrugged. "If you prefer, we can turn you into a weasel. Or a pole cat."

Alec glared at him for a moment, not sitting down but not moving anywhere. Finally, he took a seat at the table. "Fine," he said. "What game should we play?"

Magnus shrugged. "Like, I said, let's start off with something simple," he said. "What about 'Would You Rather?'"

Alec shrugged, his shoulders signifying defeat. "Whatever."

Magnus positively beamed. "Excellent," he said. "Who wants to start?"

Isabelle cleared her throat. "Would you rather be a hobo or a stripper?" she asked.

Alec looked appalled, the glittery warlock snickering beside him. "What kind of a question is that?" he demanded, as soon as he'd recovered.

Isabelle smiled sweetly. "A would you rather question," she said.

"I would be a hobo," Jace said thoughtfully. "Unless I was extremely desperate."

Alec looked even more horrified, if possible. "How could you even consider the possibility?" he asked.

"It's called surviving," Jace said matter-of-factly.

"Let's move onto a different question," Magnus said, sensing the mood detoriate. "Let's see... okay I got one. Would you rather eat Isabelle's cooking, or be trapped in the Arctic for a week?"

Isabelle frowned. "That's not fair!" she said.

Jace smirked. "Life isn't fair," he said. "And yes, I would rather go to the Arctic for a week."

Alec actually cracked a smile. "Me, too." Then, seeing Isabelle's murderous glares, he added, "Sorry, sis. But I think I would have a better chance of surviving the North Pole."

Magnus turned to Isabelle. "Do you want me to send them to the Arctic?" he asked politely.

Isabelle pondered this. "Yes," she said, smirking at Jace and Alec.

Magnus stood up and started to chant something.

Alec's eyes widened. "Wait, I didn't _mean_ it," he said, but Magnus's hands were already flying blue sparks. Suddenly, there was a huge flash.

Jace, forgetting to act aloof for a second, jumped out of the armchair, ready to fight, but nothing was there except for smoke pouring in rapidly. He felt a small tugging in his gut, but it grew bigger and bigger until finally, he blacked out.

* * *

Isabelle looked at Magnus nervously. "They'll be back, right?" she asked, hopefully. Her two brothers had disappeared with the smoke and the flash.

Magnus sat back down. "In a week," he said.

"_What?!_" Isabelle shrieked. "You sent them to the Arctic for a week?"

"Scream it a little louder," the warlock said. "I don't think the people in New Zealand heard you."

"They're going to die!" Isabelle yelled, almost hysterically.

Magnus shook his head. "I sent them supplies to keep them going," he said. "They'll come back once it's been seven days."

Isabelle glared at the sparkly man beside her. "And how do you suppose I tell my parents that?" she demanded.

Shrugging, Magnus said, "Well, it's not any of my concern."

Isabelle glared fiercely at him. "Yes, it is your concern," she hissed furiously. "Because is they don't come back soon, or you don't tell Maryse and Robert exactly what happened, I swear to God, magic powers or not, you will _not_ be able to go anywhere for a week. Understood?"

Meekly, Magnus nodded.

"Good," Isabelle said, leaning back on the sofa. "Now, what do you suppose we do now?"

* * *

"Where are we?" Jace asked, his eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness.

Alec smirked. "See, _this_ is why it's better to stay at the Institute Library just doing what Hodge assigned us."

Jace got up, using the taller boy's arm to pull himself up. He looked around. "This doesn't look like the Arctic," he said.

The blue-eyed boy rolled his eyes. "Magnus has got to work on his teleporting skills," he said. "It looks like we're in the middle of some forest."

Jace eyed two hiking bags set upon a fallen tree. "Are those for us?" he asked.

Alec nodded. He looked like he was suppressing a grin. "Open it up."

Obligingly, Jace opened a bag. Inside, there was food, water, tent equipment, and heavy clothing. "What are these for?" He pulled out a thick jacket.

"Like I said, Magnus needs to work on his teleporting skills," Alec said. "I think he _meant_ to send us to the Arctic."

"Well, let's get going," Jace said. "We need to find a clearing to make the tent."

Alec nodded in agreement.

* * *

The moon shone brilliantly, but the forest's trees covered most of the light. Alec sat with his back against the tent, swatting away flies that had apparently decided that his face was the ideal place to start a new home.

Jace walked out of the tent, his clothes somehow immaculate, and plopped himself down next to Alec. The older boy tensed at Jace's proximity.

"Dude, calm down," Jace said, smiling. "I won't bite."

For some annoying reason, no flies were buzzing around his face. Figured.

"Sorry," Alec said. "It's just that - how are we going to get out of here?"

Jace shrugged. "Just walk on and on until we reach the edge of the forest or some kind of civilization," he said.

Alec looked at him. "What if this forest is like, really big? Like the Amazon, or the -"

"Firstly," Jace said, looking at Alec in the eye. Alec looked away. "The Amazon is a _jungle_. Secondly, I think Magnus will probably figure out where we are and send us help. After all, he left Izzy there. I think we can count on her throwing a tantrum and possibly one of her shoes at the bastard if he doesn't do anything. And thirdly, we have food. We have water. We have shelter. And we have -"

For a second, Alec thought he might say _And we have each other,_ but that sounded cheesy even in his head. Instead, a wolf howled in the distance.

"Run?" Alec asked hopefully.

The golden boy shook his head. "We might attract attention," he whispered. "Too much noise."

"Let's just stay in the tent?"

"Agreed."

The two of them huddled back into the tent. "This is way too small for us," Jace complained.

"Well, too bad," Alec said. "It's all we have right now."

Jace yawned. "I'm going to sleep," he said. He rolled into the left side of the tent.

"Hey, can I ask you a question?" Alec started. His heart beat rapidly at the thought of what he was going to say right now.

"Sure," Jace mumbled. "Shoot."

"Okay, so I -" Alec didn't continue.

The blonde haired boy was already asleep.

**A/N: So, what did you think? I'm sorry for any OOC's, but I'll try harder next time. I think I'll update every week, but for the beginning, I might update every other day. It really depends on the next couple chapters. Please review, and suggestions are always welcome. (If you're going to criticize my writing, make it constructive, not just 'I hated it.') Thanks! :P**


	2. Surviving Day One

**A/N: I'm so excited! I took a stab at humor this time, but don't expect anything knee-slapping hilarious. I am not Cassandra Clare - a view which is thoroughly expressed in the disclaimer down below. This is my second chapter, (which is a bit longer than the first one - yay!) so enjoy! Rate and review!**

Disclaimer: Sadly, my fairy godmother has not yet visited, and besides, it's already past twelve o'clock, so no, I am not Cassandra Clare. I wish I was. But I'm not. Therefore, I own 0% of The Mortal Instruments books. Like, absolutely 0. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Donut. Bagel. Any kind of pasty found in bakeries with a hole in the middle. (I think you get the idea.)

Jace woke up to the sound of thundering footsteps. His first thought was _Oh god, we're going to be stampeded to death by a horde of unicorns_. His second thought was _Why the hell would we be stampeded by unicorns?_ And his third thought was _Oh, wait - there are no unicorns, since this is most likely a mundane forest._ Oops.

Beside him, Alec slept soundly. Jace idly wondered how it was possible for anyone to sleep through this noise, but then again, Alec slept through his own snoring. Clearly, he was talented in a way Jace was not.

Speaking of talents, Alec also had a habit of muttering in his sleep. For example, right now, he was muttering something about spiders, large spiders, larger spiders, tarantulas, Jace, webs - wait a second. _Jace?_

The smaller boy leaned in to hear exactly what his brother was mumbling so agitatedly.

"Jace, no," he said, his face twisted into a horrible look of sadness. "Imagine if anyone found out."

Jace raised an eyebrow. What in the world was Alec talking about?

"Stupid spiders!" Alec half-yelled. "Jace, make them go away!"

Alarmed, Jace shook Alec's shoulder frantically. "Wake up!" he said. "Wake up, you damn -"

Alec woke up. "What the hell?" he asked, sitting up. Jace, who hadn't moved, was still leaning over his brother and hadn't realized it yet. Alec banged his forehead nicely with Jace's.

"Watch it, will you?" Jace snapped, rubbing his head ruefully. For someone who's head seemed awfully empty sometimes, Alec's head was really hard. Maybe it was his thick skull.

Alec glared at him. "What's that noise?"

Jace shrugged. "Stampeding unicorns? A space ship landing? Evil ducks? The possibilities are endless."

His parabatai looked at him oddly.

"Couldn't sleep," Jace said, just to keep Alec's mind off him. "Have a nice dream?"

"No," Alec said, blushing and opening a bag. He pulled a packet of food out. "I had a nightmare."

Jace resisted the urge to smile. He settled for a smirk. "I'm not that ugly, you know."

Alec choked on his food. "What are you talking about?"

"I was in your dream, right?"

The black haired boy stared at him. "How did you know?"

"Lucky guess," Jace said, shrugging. When Alec didn't look satisfied, he added, "Okay, fine, it's a weird skill I have. You know, a unique talent."

Alec stared at him as though he was watching Jace grow another head.

"I'm going out to clear my head," Alec said. He got up and walked out of the tent. Of course, Jace hadn't known it then, but a few minutes after that, all of hell - or at least a very large portion of it - broke loose.

* * *

"Mom," Isabelle sighed, "I too wish to hit Magnus over the head with a frying pan. Unfortunately, that won't help anything."

Maryse Lightwood's face was contorted with rage, a large steel pan raised above her head. Magnus, despite being the more powerful one in this situation, had wisely ducked behind Isabelle and was now bravely peeking out from her shoulder. He ducked again when Maryse glared at him like a mama bear without her cub.

"How," she seethed, "could you let this happen?"

Magnus was cut short from answering by Maryse. She didn't look as though she wanted to be answered.

"You sent them to _the Arctic_? Now? Have you gone insane, filthy Downworlder? I should kill you right now and - "

To everyone's surprise, it was Robert Lightwood who interrupted his wife. "She does not mean all that," he quickly assured Magnus, taking the frying pan from Maryse's hand. "She is just extremely worried."

Magnus slid out from behind Isabelle's back. "Trust me, I will do everything in my power to bring them back as soon as possible," he promised.

"You better!" Maryse yelled, and then stalked out of the kitchen.

Robert looked at him hard for a while with an unreadable expression. After a while, he simply turned to his daughter and said, "Needless to say, Isabelle, your lessons will be postponed until your brothers are present to join you." With that, he left.

Isabelle looked at Magnus. "Can't you summon Santa and just ask him to find Jace and Alec or something?" she asked.

Magnus smirked. "Ha ha," he said. "Crack jokes while I'm under threat of potentially dying a horrible death by the hands of your mother."

Isabelle smiled sweetly at him.

The warlock sighed. "I'll go talk to some - er, friends of mine." And then he left too, leaving Isabelle to wonder why they'd ever started to play the stupid game in the first place.

* * *

It wasn't until after the giant was chasing them that Alec realized sneaking out without Jace into the unknown wilderness had been a really bad idea. As usual, his curiosity had gotten the better of him, and he'd followed the trail of hoof marks until he'd reached the cave. Of course, the stupid hundred foot tall giant had picked now to step outside his house for an afternoon stroll.

Needless to say, Jace was furious with him.

Most people had two quick instincts. Fight, or flight. Alec had three - fight, flight, or screw up big time. Of course, his adrenaline had rushed his brain to the third choice.

"Wasn't being teleported to god knows where good enough for you?" Jace yelled as he ran. "Wasn't that enough excitement?"

Alec, despite being longer limbed, was slightly behind Jace. "I said I'm sorry!"

Jace rolled his eyes. "Go tell that to the giant!"

Alec reached for his dagger, but then realized that they didn't have any weapons on them. "Shit!" he yelled.

"Language, Alexander," Jace said, in a voice so much like their mother's that Alec shivered. He ran faster.

"Humans!" the giant behind them bellowed. "I will get you!"

"Like hell you will," Jace muttered, and then dove headfirst into the river that had just come into view. Sighing, Alec braced himself for the impact of the cold water and ran into the upcoming body of water. It never came. Instead, he felt a rush or warmth as he landed on a soft grassy patch.

"Where are we?" Alec asked. "What is this?"

Jace smirked, looking around. "I don't know," he said, "but it beats being chased by a giant and losing all of our supplies."

Alec gulped.

* * *

"Penguins?" Isabelle asked, sitting on Magnus's furry white couch. "That's who your friends are?"

Magnus sniffed. "You try making friends on top of glaciers. It's not easy, you know."

What Magnus had been doing on top of those glaciers, Isabelle wasn't sure she wanted to know. Instead, she tapped her foot on the wooden floors impatiently. "Well, what did you want to tell me? I had to sneak out behind my parents' backs."

The sparkly warlock frowned. "That shouldn't have been a problem for you," he said seriously. "You strike me as the sort of person who's already done that a million times before."

Isabelle scowled, but then realized Magnus was right. "Maybe," she admitted, "but if you don't tell me what I came here for in the next two minutes, your skin will no longer be that tanned color."

Magnus raised an eyebrow. "Do I get a say in your choice of color?" he asked. "I've always wondered what I'd look like if my skin was a light blue color."

"Let's say your skin will turn black. And possibly blue. And maybe a hint of dark purple."

"Fine," the glittery man grumbled, "be that way."

Isabelle beamed. "I didn't wake up at three in the morning to talk about how well fashion and bruises go together," she said seriously. "I have enough time to do that when I'm naturally awake."

Magnus looked down. "See, here's the thing. I've summoned demons and penguins, angels and polar bears, and none of them have seen Jace and Alec. Apparently, the whole place is void of any human activity."

Isabelle's eyes smoldered. For a while, she couldn't think of anything to say.

Magnus looked up at her helplessly. "You can see why I wanted to tell you first and then your parents."

The raven-haired girl calmed herself. She was Isabelle Lightwood. She did not panic. "I have a better idea," she said slowly, looking up to meet Magnus's green cat eyes. "Let's not breathe a word of this to my parents. We'll just say you're continuing your search."

"Thank you, Isabelle," Magnus said, sarcastically, "I hadn't thought of that."

Isabelle looked at him levelly. "Hey, I'm trying to help you get out of a ditch here," she said. "Just listen. Maybe Clary and Simon can help. I don't know about Jocelyn, but Luke can do something. Same with Simon. He's a vampire, so maybe he can talk to other clans around the world."

The tall man shook his head. "Luke would feel compelled to tell Maryse," he said. "And Simon's existence is barely accepted by the Downworld. They will be no help."

"Can't Clary just create a finding rune?" Isabelle demanded.

Magnus thought about this. "I think so," he said. "And I can definitely go into my old rune books for a search spell."

"Aren't you supposed to know how to do those?"

"Yes, but since they seem to be invisible or something, I think we'll need a different spell."

"Hey, Magnus?"

The warlock looked up from his papers. "Yes?"

"You have a spare bedroom right?"

He nodded.

"Tell my parents I went to Taki's or something for breakfast if they come around," Isabelle said. "I'm going to sleep."

Magnus's protests were ignored by the tall girl, who had come wearing only her pajamas, and now promptly walked away into Magnus's spare bedroom.

* * *

**"**You look lost," a voice said. Jace spun around to see who it was. "Impressively fast, too," the voice said.

"Who are you?" Alec asked, his voice quivering.

The anonymous speaker's deep voice came again. "Pretty, too. I think they're good ones."

"Bah," a second voice said, this one gravelly and old. "They're all the same."

"What are you talking about?" Jace asked. "And why am I not swimming through some murky river trying to avoid banging my head on rocks?"

The two voices laughed. "Welcome to the land of Faerie," the first voice said.

* * *

Unexpectedly, their encounter with the queen passed fairly well. The threats were kept to a minimum - although Jace lost count after twenty-three - and they struck a deal. The faeries would get their supplies back for them, but Jace and Alec had to kill a wild animal that apparently terrorized faeries in the region. Thankfully, the local Faerie queen here was a lot more helpful that Queen Seelie, who Jace despised from the bottom of his heart, and had given them the tools to do everything. The day had passed by feeling somewhat normal - Jace and Alec fighting side by side, and although their weapons felt foreign in their hands, it was pretty similar to what usually happened.

Right now, Jace was lying down in the tent, unable to sleep. Outside, Alec, bleary-eyed, was attempting to be on guard. Jace poked his head out of the tent.

"I can't sleep," he said. "Switch."

Alec obliged. "How can you not sleep?" he asked, just as he tucked himself into his sleeping bag.

Jace shrugged, and then smiled up at his brother. "So, we made it through the first day, huh," he said.

"Yeah," Alec said.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Didn't I ask you that last night?"

Jace shrugged again. "What was your dream about?"

Alec's pale cheeks turned a furious pinkish red.

"Well?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Alec said flatly.

"Well, if I'm in your dream, don't I get the right to know what happened to me in the dream?" Jace demanded. "Did I die? Did I slay the tarantula? Did the spiders eat us?"

Alec cringed. "I don't want to talk about it," he said flatly.

Jace cocked his head to the side. "Tomorrow," he started slowly, "I'll wrestle you. Spar with you. Whatever."

His parabatai was already shaking his head.

"Chicken?"

"No," Alec scowled.

"Then come on," Jace said. "If I win, you have to tell me about your dream. And don't bother lying, because you're terrible at it."

"But if I win..."

"You get to keep your dreams to yourself. I won't bother you for another couple more days."

Alec sighed. "Fine. But right now, good night. I need sleep."

Jace watched as Alec curled into himself and fell asleep, wondering what in the world his brother's dream could have held.

* * *

**A/N: I'm so awesome, aren't I? I totally forgot I was supposed to be incorporating humor until the very end. And by then I was like - I should go back and put more humor. Nah, never mind, I'll try harder on the next chapter. I know, procrastination at its greatest. A.k.a. Me. Anyways, rate and review! Suggestions are always welcome, and so is constructive criticism. And one more thing - what do you think should happen next in the story? My writing is kind of repeating itself, which it's kind of supposed to do, but not really, if you know what I mean. I'm coming up at a writer's block... I mean, I know what's going to happen romance wise, but for action... **

**Anyway, thanks for reading! (And sorry for blabbering on the paragraph above.)**


	3. Surviving Day Two

**A/N: I swear, my chapters just get longer each time. Anyways, here's chapter 3. Enjoy! **

"You need me for _what_?"

"Just come already."

"Okay..."

"And bring Simon!"

"Isn't he _your_ boyfriend?"

"Yeah, but he's _your_ best friend."

"Okay, I'll be right there." Clary hung up the phone.

"Come on, we need to go to the Institute," she said.

Simon paused his video game. "I can't go there, remember?" He bared his fangs.

The red headed girl sighed. "Jace and Alec are missing and Isabelle wants our help finding them," she said, taking Simon's arm and dragging him out the door.

Simon was still protesting in the car. "Why do they need _us_?" he asked.

Clary looked up at the ceiling. Simon could be impossible sometimes. "Shouldn't you be happy? You can impress your girlfriend this way."

Her best friend smirked. "Please," he said. "My sexy vampire mojo is already at work."

Clary rolled her eyes. "There is no such thing as vampire mojo."

Isabelle was waiting for them in front of the Institute, standing next to Magnus Bane.

"Sup?" Simon greeted. Isabelle ran to hug him.

"So, Jace and Alec are missing?" Simon asked.

Magnus smiled slightly. "You have no idea," he said.

* * *

Alec had an awkward habit of clinging to things in his sleep. So the next day, when he woke up, he found out that his parabatai had been awake for hours but couldn't move since Alec had practically been sleeping on Jace's arm.

"Sorry," he mumbled, his tongue swollen from sleep.

Rubbing his arm, Jace sat up, his hair sticking up wildly in different directions. "Dude," he said, "you nearly cut off the circulation in my arm. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not find out about how well the faeries can perform amputation."

Alec frowned. "Amputation?"

"Cutting off a limb, typically by surgical operation, the act of severing, dismember -"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Alec said, waving his hand dismissively. "No need to elaborate."

Suddenly, the golden boy in front of him sprang up. "You still remember our deal, right?" he asked.

Alec feigned confusion. "What?"

Maybe he hadn't said it with enough conviction, or maybe his face had given him away yet again, but Jace immediately picked up. "I know you know what I'm talking about," he said.

Alec sighed, realizing it was futile to argue. "Fine," he said. "When do you want to do it?"

"After breakfast," Jace said, smiling victoriously and rubbing his stomach.

* * *

"I don't know for sure," Clary said slowly. "But I can try."

Simon looked at the sparkly warlock dubiously. "Is it possible to bring back just Alec? And leave Jace there?" He looked meek as Isabelle swatted him on the arm. "Sorry!" he yelped. "Of course they can both come back."

Isabelle smiled sweetly at him and cuddled up next to him.

The warlock rolled his eyes at the public display of affection. "We need paper, pencil, and something to write on," he ordered.

When they got all those things, Magnus handed everything to the red-headed girl. "Work your magic," he muttered under his breath. "Because mine's not working too well."

Clary took a deep breath and touched the tip of her pencil to the blank white surface. She focused all her thoughts on Jace, her former boyfriend. On Alec, the boy who had fallen in love with Jace and nearly killed her when she had too. On their bond, their parabatai connection, and Jace's golden hair, and his tawny luminous eyes that -

The pencil moved.

Clary urged the thoughts to come faster. She poured her emotions into it - the way she'd kissed Jace before, the way he'd held her in his arms like she was his life source, like she was the most precious gem in the world, the most precious pearl in the sea. She thought about how they'd broken up, how Jace's eyes had never once come up to meet hers, like he was embarrassed to do what he was doing. Her eyes flew open as the pencil stopped moving. She looked down.

A rune, a swirling matrix of lines and curves and flourishes, lay on the paper, freshly inscribed.

"Wow," Simon breathed next to her. "What just happened?"

Clary grimaced. "I think - I think I just fell in love all over again."

* * *

"Ready."

"Set."

_Go_ was never said. Instead, the two boys started to spar immediately. The fight was unbelievably fast. That is, both Alec and Jace were fast. The actual sparring lasted almost half an hour. For Alec, he had too much to lose. For Jace, he had too much to hope for.

They fought without weapons. Just punching and kicking, ducking and rolling, flipping and twisting, hands and legs and limbs flying everywhere in an almost malevolent dance, until finally, _finally_, Alec had Jace pinned down.

"Ha," he gasped out. "I've got you."

Jace only grinned. Then, so fast that Alec barely had time to register that he had moved, Jace was the one on top, and Alec was the one pinned underneath. False hope could truly be heart breaking sometimes.

"Come on," Jace said, his face uncomfortably close. "Let's hear it."

Alec could feel his face flush alarmingly. His ears reddened. And Jace, the bastard, was only making it worse by growling at Alec to hurry up, his golden hair brushing the tip of Alec's forehead.

Jace proceeded to sit on Alec's chest. "Come on," he said. "You're not going anywhere until you tell me. A deal's a deal."

His heart beat loudly, thumping so hard that it was a miracle that Jace couldn't hear it. Or maybe he could, by the way that he was smirking at Alec's chest.

Alec took a deep breath. "Okay, so -"

There was a huge crash. Several trees came pounding down, and would have flattened them both had it not been for Jace's quick wits. Possibly faster than lightning, the golden boy yanked Alec up and ran away from the spot, the taller boy spluttering in indignance behind him. Rolling his eyes, he dove for the river again.

Sadly, whatever magic had brought them to the realm of Faerie last time had disappeared. Alec and Jace only got wet.

The older boy bodily yanked his arm back, scowling at Jace.

"You have no reason to be upset," Jace yelled, over the continuous crashing noise. "You weren't just cheated out of a - oh crap."

Alec looked to where Jace was staring. Looming over the clouds was the hundred foot tall giant. What's more - over night, he seemed to have grown another head.

* * *

Isabelle gathered the short girl into a hug, snatching the paper out of her grip and shoving it into Magnus's face. "See?" she said. "Let's do it."

The warlock only frowned. "If this is a rune," he started, thoughtfully rubbing his chin, "then who do we put it on?"

Everyone turned to Clary, who shrugged. "I don't know!" she said helplessly. "My talent didn't come with an instruction manual, you know."

Isabelle turned back to Magnus. "What if it's a map maker?" she asked. "What if we write it out on paper?"

He shook his sparkly head. "Clary just did that," he said. "It would have worked."

The tall raven-haired girl turned to Clary. "What about someone's arm?" she asked. "Will it lead me to them?"

There was a hand on her shoulder. It was Simon. "It's too dangerous," he said, nodding his head slightly.

Angrily, Isabelle shook of his hand, ignoring the hurt expression on his face. "Well, we can't just _leave_ them wherever they are!" she half-yelled. "We have to _do_ something."

Magnus cleared his throat. "I have a friend," he said quietly. "Her name's Catarina. She might just know something about this."

"I'll go talk to her," Clary said, nodding. "There's something else I need from her too."

"Who's Catarina?" Simon's head was tilted slightly to the right.

"She's a warlock," Clary said. "She works in the hospital where my mom was -"

Magnus broke her off. "She's an old friend of mine," he said, turning his gaze back to Isabelle. "I'm not promising anything, or making any guarantees, but I think she may have some helpful information."

Reluctantly, Isabelle handed the sheet of paper to Magnus wordlessly. She watched as Clary and Magnus walked out of the library silently. And the most infuriating thing was, they _had_ the rune. They just needed to figure out how it would work.

"We'll figure it out," Simon whispered, stroking Isabelle's hair. He sat down on an armchair and pulled Isabelle on top of him. "Don't worry."

And for once, Isabelle let herself be held, sobbing tearlessly into Simon's chest.

* * *

Alec liked to believe that he hadn't screamed like a girl when the giant (or giants? what did you call a two-headed giant?) turned to glare at him and said, "You."

The effect was made a lot more creepier since there were two voices saying it, not one. The single word echoed through the entire forest.

"Don't run," Jace hissed. "We have to kill it."

"Kill it?" Alec asked hesitantly. "Do we really have to do that?"

"Well, does it look like it wants to strike a deal with you?" Jace inquired.

"Jace -" Alec started, but he never got to finish his sentence. His idiotic parabatai of a brother had gone charging into the direction of the giant. Without a weapon, too. Sighing, Alec followed after Jace, wondering why he always ended up being the one to save his sorry half brother's ass.

* * *

"So, what's the verdict?" Isabelle asked, standing up as soon as the warlock was in sight. Clary was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Clary?" Simon asked suspiciously. "You didn't offer her up as a sacrifice, did you?"

Magnus gave him a pointed look. "I most certainly did not, Sherlock."

Isabelle waved her hand dismissively, accidentally hitting her fingers on the table. Swearing, she looked up at the sparkly warlock, who's face was a mixture of worry and amusement. "Well?" she asked. "How do we use the rune?"

"Catarina already figured it out," he said. "She put the magic to work in front of us and figured out where they are."

"Where are they?" Isabelle didn't understand why Magnus wasn't giving her a straight answer.

"They're trapped in a forest."

"So let's get them _out_."

"That's the problem right there," Magnus said, shaking his head apologetically. "The forest they're trapped in? It's called Everend Forest."

"So?"

"Everend Forest was charmed," Magnus said quietly, "by an old warlock thousands of years ago. Legend has it that those who go in never find their way back out."

"So?" Isabelle repeated. "Can't you just magic them back out?"

Magnus shook his head. "I wish I could," he said. "I wish I could."

Then suddenly, the full force of Magnus's words hit her. People couldn't come out of Everend Forest. Jace and Alec were people. Jace and Alec were trapped in a never ending forest. All because of a stupid idea she'd had.

In a burst of self inflicted rage, Isabelle picked up the nearest book, flung it at the wall, and stalked out of the room, uncaring of the spine ripping into half or Simon's weak protests. Those things didn't matter now.

* * *

Jace's brain usually worked pretty fast. His muscles, too. He could figure out the trajectory of a blade coming at him in a matter of milliseconds. He could run a mile in about a minute and a half. He could come up with witty remarks before the person speaking to (and normally insulting) him could finish their sentence.

But for some reason, it was only until he'd reached the giant's gigantic purple foot that he'd realized _Damn! I don't have a weapon! _Thankfully, Alec was at his side.

"Jace!" the raven haired boy yelled as the giant bent over to peer down at them. "Stop being a stupid! How the hell are we supposed to fight the giant?"

He thought for a moment. The giant above him was almost tumbling over in an effort to see the humans by his large - and rather disgusting - feet. A lightbulb went off in his head.

"Hey, ugly!" he yelled.

Alec groaned.

The giant, large and strong as it may have been, was incredibly dumb as well. He looked between his legs. Jace, having known the giant was going to do this, aimed a well-placed kick at the giant's head (or at least one of them). However, he hadn't counted on the giant being experienced. The great beast had worked out that that was what Jace's plan was, and grabbed Jace by the waist with green sausage-like fingers. Apparently, the giant was smarter than it looked.

Jace was getting dizzy from the lack of oxygen reaching his brain, his thoughts became unfocused and his eyes blurred. Suddenly, something snapped him awake. A piercing howl was let loose by the giant. Jace blinked hard and looked down. An arrow was lodged in the giant's hand.

The giant released his hold on him and Jace, having been injected with Angel's blood, landed neatly on a branch of a nearby tree that hadn't fell yet and worked his way down. Alec was waiting for him at the bottom.

"Thanks," Jace said, stretching out his body. He felt as though he'd been squashed by one of Maryse's cooking utensils.

Alec gave him a weary grin. "What are parabatai for?"

* * *

Simon finally found Isabelle in her bedroom, angrily staring out the window. Softly, he knocked on the open door. "Can I come in?" he asked.

Without turning around, Isabelle nodded. "Close the door behind you."

He did as he was asked, and then sat next to Isabelle on the windowsill. They both just watched their feet dangle from high up for a while, neither of them talking.

It was Isabelle who broke the silence first. "I'm sorry," she said.

Simon was honestly surprised. "Why are you apologizing?" he asked.

Isabelle looked at him through tear stained eyes. "Look at me," she said, pointing to herself. "I'm a mess. I'm sitting depressedly and crying, for crying out loud."

Simon resisted the urge to smile at the last sentence. Gently, he lifted a hand and brought Isabelle's chin to face him. "Isabelle," he said. Not Iz, or Izzy - Isabelle.

"You just lost a brother. Now you've lost two more, and god knows how long it'll take for them to come back. It's okay to be a wreck."

Isabelle's eyes were suspiciously bright, and Simon could see the self-control she was imposing on herself right now, willing the tears back into her head.

"When I lost my dad, I couldn't believe it," Simon continued. "I thought about things I never got to tell him, or do with him, or -" His voice cracked.

"Simon, it's okay, you don't have to -" Isabelle started, but her boyfriend put a hand up to stop her.

"What I'm trying to say is, they're still alive. We know where they are, and we can send a message to them, too. We'll get them back. I promise."

Isabelle sighed, and gripped Simon's hand tighter. Had he not been a vampire, his hand would have been crushed already.

"Let's go back downstairs," Simon suggested.

Numbly, Isabelle followed Simon out of her room.

* * *

They hid in the trees until the giant left.

"Now," Jace said, turning on Alec. "Your dream."

Alec threw his hands in the air in surrender. "Hey!" he protested. "I just saved your life. Doesn't that count for anything?"

Jace shook his head, ringlets of gold bouncing everywhere. "Do I have to pin you down again?"

Alec took a deep breath. "It was a nightmare," he said.

Jace rolled his eyes. "No _duh_."

Alec glared at him. "This is taking a lot of courage, okay?" he snapped. "Try and be supportive for once?"

"I'm waiting..."

"How in the world is that supportive?"

"It wasn't meant to be."

"But -"

"Stop stalling! Was your dream really that bad?"

"Fine, fine. It was a nightmare. I dreamt of spiders. Millions of them. And you. You were in the middle of all of them."

Jace raised an eyebrow. "You're _scared_ of me?" Inside though, he felt a little disappointed. The reason he'd broken up with Clary when Magnus had broken up with Alec was because he thought he had a chance with Alec. A chance to fix everything he'd been doing wrong for the last seven years - to fix every opportunity he'd given up, all the emotions that he'd ignored.

Alec looked at the ground, a blush coloring his cheeks darkly.

Gently, Jace cupped the taller boy's face with his hands and brought them up. Alec still refused to meet his eyes, although Jace could feel the other boy's pulse beating loudly. "Why are you scared of me?" he asked. "Is it something I've done, or -"

Alec shook his head miserably. "It's my fault," he whispered hoarsely. A single tear drew it's way down his face. Impatiently, Jace wiped it away with his thumb. "Ever since we were ten, when you first came to the Institute, I -"

Suddenly, Jace felt a wave of guilt wash over him. Here he was, forcing Alec to admit something apparently so terrible that he still had nightmares about it. "It's okay," he said. "You don't have to tell me."

"No, I - I want to finish this." Alec looked up miserably. "I fell in love with you," he said quietly. "And now I have nightmares about -" He couldn't finish his sentence, despite wanting to. Looking up at Jace, though, he could tell the other boy had gotten his message.

Jace's eyes were - well, what were they? He was so used to seeing his parabatai's eyes show either pain or determination or courage or worry or laziness, but never _this_. Jace had never looked at him like this before. With a start, Alec realized that this was the look he'd seen Jace give Clary when he thought she wasn't looking, but ten times as strong. The other boy looked as though he didn't know what to do, but then finally embraced Alec in a hug. Alec closed his eyes, letting the other boy's hair brush against his face, allowing the other boy's hands to wander his muscles. Very slowly - so slowly that Alec didn't even know how it happened - the hug turned into a kiss. Feverishly, the golden boy pressed his lips firmly on Alec's. Alec was in heaven.

That night, Jace took first watch, despite Alec's protests. He watched as the raven haired boy slowly drifted off into a peaceful looking slumber. Jace wished he could lie down next to Alec like that. _Screw this_, he thought, and, abandoning his post, he tucked himself next to Alec.

* * *

**A/N: So, what did you think? I actually liked this chapter a lot more than the first two. Anyway, please, please, _please_ review!**


	4. Magnus' Brilliant Idea

**A/N: Here's chapter 4. Thank you so much for the reviews. This chapter's a little short, but enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, still not Cassandra Clare. Dang. Oh well, better luck next time...**

* * *

They woke up in the morning in a tangle of limbs. When Alec finally opened his eyes, he saw a golden halo covering his sight, and it wasn't from the sun either. The sun didn't smell faintly of shampoo, covered with the scent of blood and dirt. It was only when Jace, still asleep, unconsciously leaned forward into Alec that he remembered what had happened the other night. He felt his cheeks flush - thank god Jace was still sleeping - and looked down at the still figure on his chest, lightly snoring. Silently, he laughed, closing his eyes and willing the moment to last for ever.

* * *

"You've been alive for eight hundred years and you still haven't met someone who's made it out of Everend Forest alive?" Isabelle yelled. "What kind of a warlock are you?"

Magnus sighed and took a sip of his coffee, freshly brewed from the Institute's kitchen. "I'm still half human, you know. As amazing as I may be, I do have some limitations. Otherwise the world would be jealous and there would be too much chaos."

Isabelle rolled her eyes. "Don't you have any books on these kinds of things?"

The glittery man looked at her strangely. "Of course not."

"And here I thought your library would come in useful one day. My bad."

Magnus slammed his mug down, uncaring of the fact that half his beverage had just splashed out. "You are not the only one with something to lose, Isabelle," he said, his eyes uncharacteristically hard. "Now, let's brainstorm useful things, yes, instead of bickering all morning?"

"Fine," Isabelle said, crossing her arms. "Should we tell Mom and Dad yet?"

"Gods, no," Magnus said, shaking his head so violently it looked as though it had the potential to fall off his shoulders. "I still retain the same urge to live as I did a couple days ago, when all of this started."

Isabelle rolled her eyes. "You could have just said, 'No thanks,' you know."

Magnus inhaled and exhaled. Deeply.

"Hey," Isabelle said suddenly. Her eyes had lit up with the same kind of raw intelligence Jace's flashed with sometimes. "You sent them to the Arctic for seven days, right?"

"... um, yes?"

"So why don't we just wait for the seven days to finish up and they can come back home?"

Magnus shook his head. "It's not that easy. Getting in there is possibly easier than breathing. You can use magic. You can accidentally walk in. You can appear through a dream-travel. It's all very complicated. However, getting _out_ is another thing entirely. It's in it's own universe."

"_Dream_ travel?"

"Too dangerous," Magnus said, shaking his head yet again. "Don't even _think_ about it."

"But it sounds so fluffy and harmless!" Isabelle protested.

"So do cats," Magnus argued. "However, cats have been known to claw people's eyes out before. Would you call _that_ harmless?"

"Fine," Isabelle huffed. "What can you think of?"

"I think," Magnus said, after a long silence, "if I tried, I might be able to go in and come back out with the two of them. Or at least one of them." Isabelle glared at him. "Okay, okay, I'll try my best."

* * *

**A/N: Like I said, this chapter was really short. I don't think it's even a chapter. I would call it a transition or something. I don't know. Review?**


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